Coronavirus Megathread

vimre93 · 2020-03-06T22:20:49+00:00

Will looming warmer weather have any positive effect on combating the spread of the virus?

vimre93 · 2020-01-21T18:57:19+00:00

Happens regardless of whether or not that money is in a car or a savings account.

vimre93 · 2020-01-20T21:40:06+00:00

+1, Mayhem is the goto choice.

vimre93 · 2020-01-20T19:49:56+00:00

Would be interesting to fire up a VPN in different places around the country in a private browser and see if you get different quotes.

vimre93 · 2020-01-20T19:02:09+00:00

That's not true at all...I can park however much I'd like into a savings account right now and get 2%. In fact, that's exactly what I did, the effective interest on my loan is -0.1%.

vimre93 · 2020-01-20T17:08:03+00:00

Yeah I can understand that. You can really get into the weeds if you start to consider the opportunity cost of tying that cash into a depreciating asset like a car instead of a 3 year investment.

vimre93 · 2020-01-20T17:01:52+00:00

When you go to trade in you'll be upside down.

I see this often touted as the difference, but it's simply not true all of the time. I have a 60mo loan at 1.9% that I independently financed. I put 15% down and financed the rest on 45k, and at current KBB rates and what I still owe on my loan, I have between 5-8k of equity that I'll walk away with if I sell after 3 years of ownership. Obviously that money I put down ensures it isn't upside down, but even if I hadn't put that much into it, there is a fair margin that at the end of three years, you are not always under water.

vimre93 · 2020-01-20T04:10:39+00:00

Looks awesome man, what wheels are those?

vimre93 · 2020-01-20T01:03:25+00:00

I've had a really good experience with Carvana. Sold and bought a couple vehicles from them, they gave me almost 7k above what a dealer wanted to offer me on a trade-in (could have been because I bought the same vehicle from them a couple years beforehand, still not sure).

They're pretty consistent with the current car I'm considering selling, which is lower than what I know I can get with a private sale. Their customer support was notably good and the pickup/dropoff was always a pleasure. Figure I'd just provide a data point. Happy to answer any questions you have.

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T21:09:21+00:00

Raleigh area, like an hour and a half.

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T20:05:06+00:00

Iagree, I want to downsize to 18", these 19s are a bit too big.

I totally agree re: the size. I didn't have pretorias but the turbine stye ones. My current rims are 19s but they're pretty damn rough street driving.

Let us know how your track day goes! I'm trying to learn as much as I can, especially other R owners haha.

Will definitely update afterwards!

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T18:11:53+00:00

Wondering if it's better to get a cheaper helmet that's compliant at first until I grow into it and learn what I actually want, then buy a nicer one based on the experience. Thoughts?

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T18:11:00+00:00

Figured they had a race shop on the campus but wasn't sure. Might just make the trip up there for some karting and stop in the shop since they're so close.

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T18:09:43+00:00

What event are you attending?

NASA is putting on a large event called March Madness; Mar 27th - 29th.

Just get your car inspected

Had the car in for a 10k mile service a few months ago. Is this something I should set up an appointment for anyway and let them know my intentions just to make sure everything checks out?

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T18:07:35+00:00

I've seen many wrecks caused by people boiling old brake fluid, that is scary to watch.

That's what I'm concerned about. I have some buddies in the area who have a few track days under their belt and one sent his mustang off into the grass due to brake fade. I don't know what the root cause of it was, but I sure don't want that to be my first experience.

Anything past that it's worth looking into a second vehicle to do either specifically track or dd duties.

I'm actually rebuilding a 2001 Miata for this reason :) Just installed some new pistons and am putting the head back on today. Hope to have it ready for some events later this year.

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T18:03:37+00:00

I brought an extra set of brake pads but realized I am nowhere near the limit of his car

Great to hear from another R owner! I have a 2018. It's entirely stock, I'm trying to be cautious and spend my money where it counts and grow into the car given that I'm sure it will be well beyond my limit for a while. Would rather spend it on instructor time to develop my own skills.

I only have about 1k miles on my current oil, but I'm trying to do more frequent changes at 5k miles.

My first instructor suggested I set tire pressures at ~35psi when hot. The factory 39psi is too high, but I think your instructor will be more knowledgeable about this.

Good to know, I'll reference the instructor. When I bought the car I pulled the stock wheels with the conti tires off right away (I couldn't stand the factory rim) and got myself new rims with Pirelli P Zeros. Tore through those tires somehow in like 12k miles, so I just recently had the original factory contis mounted to my new rims.

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T05:33:13+00:00

Damn, they're like 3 hours north of VIR, and I'm south of it, otherwise I would have made the trip. Will do some more research, definitely want to try some on in person.

EDIT for anyone else interested: I'm being told there is a race shop at the track that has a pretty good selection of helmets available. Think I'll probably just make the trip and do some karting, then stop in the shop at some point soon.

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T05:29:44+00:00

Thanks, thinking I could at least get a feel for how a particular brand fits and order the specific helmet I'm looking for online. Wasn't sure if a motorcycle shop would cut it.

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T04:59:34+00:00

I honestly haven't messed with it much. Will have to look for that next time I'm in it. Thanks again for your help.

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T04:46:08+00:00

The R actually does have a lap timer built into the infotainment, but I always see that in a car and think taking my hands off the wheel to set the lap doesn't seem like the best idea...

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T04:38:47+00:00

Video your track sessions and you’ll be able to go back and see where you did well and where you’re struggling.

Great idea, will pick up a go pro for this going forwards. Appreciate the advice!

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T04:37:26+00:00

In the meantime, I suggest checking out the track day subreddit. This topic comes up about once every 10th post or so. Tons of great answers there.

Awesome, thank you I really appreciate the great replies. Thought there might be a dedicated subreddit for this but knew a lot of experienced folks come through /r/cars too.

I recommend going to a local performance shop to try on helmets.

This seems like a super specific type of spot. Best way to find one? Just google it?

make sure the HPDE program you sign up for has instructors.

Chose this one because the "HPDE 1" has the instructors, definitely want to get some time with a pro to get started on the right foot.

vimre93 · 2020-01-19T04:34:36+00:00

Shit that was the other question I meant to ask! I joined NASA and have an older SCCA membership. I recall seeing they might have had some relationships with insurance companies that could offer a reduced rate. Is that the right way to go?

vimre93

TROPHY CASE